COMPANY NEWS
MJB Wood Group Expands Operations
MJB Wood Group Inc., of Irving, Texas, has expanded its distribution and
sales locations by opening distribution branches in the St. Paul/Minneapolis
area, Louisville, Ky., and Charlotte, N.C., to support its customer base
of OEMs. Product offerings include panel, components and specialty products
and will offer a quick ship program of stock items.

“We have had great success with our distribution facility in Elkhart,
Ind., and want to duplicate this model to service accounts in the Midwest
and Southeast,” says Jeff Messick, MJB’s vice president of sales. The
company’s operation in Simsboro, La., which opened last November, caters
to millwork shops in the South along with retail lumberyards in both full
truckload and less than truckload shipments. Products include hardwood
lumber, hardwood plywood, panel products and architectural mouldings.

MJB Tableros Y Maderas, MJB Wood Group’s Mexican subsidiary, is also expanding
its Mexican operation with a new distribution facility in Merida, Mexico
situated on the Yucatan Peninsula.

Former ProBuild Execs Form New Company
Paul Hylbert, former CEO of ProBuild, has formed Kodiak Building Partners,
based in Denver, and says the company plans to invest in the building
materials distribution industry.

“We believe the time is right to acquire assets in this space,” says Hylbert.
“While construction activity in general remains very weak, we believe
that this business will recover and are looking to partner with strong
management teams to participate in the upturn.”

Joining Hylbert is Steve Swinney who will act as president and chief operating
officer. Kyle Barker, Brian Cleveringa and Eric Miller will be managing
directors. All of these individuals had worked previously at ProBuild.

Kodiak Building Partners was formed to invest in building products companies
serving new residential, repair and remodeling, and commercial construction
markets across the United States. “Recognizing that this industry is very
local in nature, Kodiak and its investor partners will work with and support
management on a market-by-market basis to build and grow businesses in
the $10 million to $100 million sales range,” according to the company
press release.

Castle Windows to Expand in 2012
Castle Windows based in Mount Laurel, N.J., announced plans late
last year to increase its staff by about 20 percent in early 2012. The
company, which operates in New York, New Jersey, Pennsylvania, Delaware,
Connecticut, Maryland, Massachusetts, Rhode Island, Virginia, North Carolina,
South Carolina and New Hampshire, plans to widen its reach along more
of the East Coast.

“We have already expanded operations and have the need for added marketing
and customer service personnel,” says CEO Chris Cardillo. “We have also
acquired the customer base from a large competitor of ours and so we need
more employees to assure the same level of service.”

Cardillo says he expects to hire approximately 30 people, most of whom
will be in south Jersey, with the rest spread throughout the New England
and southern states.

The company has 175 employees and about $55 million in annual revenue.
Cardillo says this could grow to 300 people, with annual revenue of $100
million in six years.

“By joining forces, both companies are expanding their national footprint;
but more importantly, by combining staff efforts, dealer expertise and
best business practices, both companies emerge stronger than ever before,
and better equipped to offer homeowners an unbeatable combination of low
prices and high-level service,” he says. “Best yet, with ever-increasing
public visibility, these companies must continue to raise their level
of service to the consumer to keep pace with some of the industry’s biggest
brands.”

Kalaher adds that the transaction increases the company’s leverage with
supply partners, “allowing us to pass on significant savings to our clients,
but it expands our brand visibility and reinforces the fact that we must
continue to constantly improve our levels of service and craftsmanship.”

Gores Group Acquires Interest in Stock
The Gores Group, a private equity firm, announced that it has furthered
its commitment to Stock Building Supply Holdings LLC by acquiring Wolseley
plc’s remaining minority interest in Stock. The acquisition adds to the
Gores Group’s controlling interest originally acquired on May 5, 2009.
Terms of the transaction were not disclosed.

“We have high expectations for Stock, and this transaction solidifies
our position in the company,” says Ryan Wald, managing director of The
Gores Group. “Stock is well-situated to weather the downturn and is capable
of rapid growth as the market recovers. This additional investment will
allow us to participate fully in the growth of Stock and the recovery
of the housing market.”

“This additional investment by Gores is a sign of confidence in our associates
and our strategy, and we look forward to working collaboratively with
The Gores Group in the future,” adds Jeff Rea, CEO of Stock Building Supply.

“Door Com was an ideal fit for us because of their exemplary reputation
in the market and their dedication to supplying only high-value, high-quality
door components,” says John Westfall, business development manager, door
and window systems, Quanex Building Products. “With the imminent building
code mandates for exterior doors in Canada, it’s a great time for us to
enter this market with our Imperial Products solutions that are engineered
to provide optimal water infiltration resistance and energy efficiency.”

Door Com has warehouses throughout Canada.

Parr Lumber to Open New Location
Parr Lumber has opened a new location in Marysville, Wash. The new store
features a 20,200-square-foot warehouse on 4.5 acres. It houses 1,000
square feet of office space, 1,500 square feet of retail space and employs
22 full-time employees. The store is managed by Doug Nelson who has worked
for Parr Lumber for nearly a decade, the last four of which managing Parr
Lumber in Everett, Wash.

Deeper expansion into the Washington market has continued to be a priority
for Parr Lumber, according to a company press release. The Marysville
site will replace the Everett location, which opened in January 2008.
The Marysville facility follows Parr’s recent expansion into Spokane in
June 2010 and is the sixth Washington Parr Lumber location.

“We have some strong core customers in the area and we are excited about
opening the new Marysville location...” says David Hamill, CEO, Parr Lumber.

Builders FirstSource Opens New Florida Operation to Replace
West Palm Beach Location
Builders FirstSource Inc., based in Dallas, opened a new distribution
facility in Riviera Beach, Fla. The new facility replaces the West Palm
Beach location, “providing expanded capacity to better serve our customers,”
according to a company press release.

“Dominic Williams, general manager, and his team are to be commended on
a job well done,” says Floyd Sherman, Builders FirstSource CEO. “We have
served the state of Florida for a number of years, and this new location
will allow us to serve four counties, including Indian Riviera County,
St. Lucie County, Martin County and Palm Beach County.”

The 45,000 square-foot facility offers a full line of building materials
and is located off the I-95 corridor, the main thoroughfare in southern
Florida.

PEOPLE NEWS
ProBuild Names Don Riley Executive Vice President of Supply Chain and
Technology
ProBuild Holdings Inc. has named Don Riley executive vice president of
Supply Chain and Technology. In this role, Riley will be responsible for
integrating ProBuild’s Supply Chain, Information Technology and Manufacturing
organizations, including developing strategies and programs to improve
the company’s overall operational effectiveness, grow market share and
maximize profitability.

He will oversee the planning and implementation of enterprise IT systems
in support of business operations in order to improve cost-effectiveness
and service quality. Additionally, Riley will direct and manage ProBuild’s
technology infrastructure and environment, including the design and development
of business-focused application solutions to support ProBuild’s business
operations.